Gov. Deval Patrick has signed a bill inspired by Puppy Doe that will increase the penalties for offenders convicted of animal cruelty.

Patrick signed the bill Wednesday, and the law will take effect in 90 days.

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"It is my hope that the passage of this bill will send a clear message that animal abuse will not be tolerated and that violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," state Rep. Bruce Ayers, D-Quincy, one of the original supporters of the bill, said.

The new law will raise the maximum prison sentence for an animal cruelty charge from five to seven years in prison and the maximum fine from $2,500 to $5,000. The bill, approved by legislators last week, also raises the maximum prison sentence to 10 years for repeat offenders.

The bill also requires veterinarians to report any suspicions of abuse they see during their observations of animals. Vets who don't would be reported to the state Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine. The bill also creates a task force that would look at ways to strengthen animal protection laws.

Last fall, Quincy police arrested Radoslaw Czerkawski, a Polish national, charging him with the brutal torture of Puppy Doe. Czerkawski, 33, has since pleaded innocent to 12 counts of animal cruelty and to larceny charges stemming from allegations he stole about $130,000 from a 95-year-old woman with dementia whom Czerkawski was hired to care for at 89 Whitwell St.

Ayers has said the new sentencing guidelines and fines won't apply to Czerkawski because he was charged prior to the new law being approved.

Czerkawski, who is being held without bail, will go on trial in the larceny case on Feb. 9 in Dedham Superior Court. Czerkawski had a pre-trial hearing for both cases on Tuesday.

No trial date has been set for his animal-cruelty case, but his next hearing is Nov. 7.